


Daddy is A Worrier But Your Father Is A Warrior

by Undertheblu



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Baby Peter Parker, Family Angst, Family Fluff, Let's face it I put angst everywhere, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Science Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-18 22:45:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2364749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Undertheblu/pseuds/Undertheblu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Bruce dive headfirst into parenthood and it's terrifying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daddy is A Worrier But Your Father Is A Warrior

  
Tony stirred awake, suddenly feeling the absence of the other body that was suppose to be in bed next to him. He sat straight up, trying to focus his eyes in the darkness, he scanned the room, searching for Bruce's silhouette. As his eyes adjusted he could make out Bruce's figure pacing back and forth by the baby's crib. Tony frowned as he looked over his shoulder at the face on the clock.

“Did you shut Jarvis off?”

Bruce looked up, unaware that Tony had been watching him, “Yeah. I thought you deserved some sleep.” Bruce answered in a whisper, shifting Peter on his shoulder, “You've been getting him every other night.”

“I didn't even hear him.” Tony frowned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed to stand.

“He was just snuffling, don't worry about it.” Bruce knew his words were going unheard as Tony leaned down to smell the top of the infant's head. In his sleep, Peter sighed and squeezed his tiny little fists. Bruce watched Tony watch the baby, thinking about how just a couple of weeks had changed their relationship. Tony was no longer the mess he had been when they brought the newborn home.

 

 

_“How about you give it another try with him?” Bruce asked gently, repositioning the child in his arms as an offering to Tony._

_Tony sucked on his cheek as he looked over at Bruce, the baby looking so peaceful in his arms, “I'll just upset him.”_

_Bruce wanted to say something encouraging, but he knew Tony was right. Ever since they had brought the baby home from the hospital, he screamed whenever he was in Tony's arms. At first everyone said it was normal, but after two weeks nothing about it felt normal. Tony hadn't been able to bond with the child the way Bruce had, or even like their friends had._

_“Just try.” Bruce insisted, patting the cushion next to him with his free hand, “I really think the key is consistency.”_

_“Oh, there's consistency.” Tony rolled his eyes as he sat, willing to try **again** , since he didn't know what else to do. He tried not to flinch as Bruce handed over the small bundle, who looked **so** tranquil. As Bruce transferred the baby to Tony's arms, there was a moment of silence where they exchanged hopeful looks. But as soon as they had latched onto that hope, Peter's face scrunched up and his mouth opened to release the familiar wail. Bruce cringed at the pained look on Tony's face._

_“No, wait.” Bruce shook his head when Tony moved to hand the infant back, “Just give him a while.”_

_Tony took a deep breath, glancing over at Bruce to see if the child's screams were affecting him in a negative way, “What does he **want**?” Tony asked through his teeth, trying not to sound angry, “Why can't I give it to him?”_

_“Maybe he's hungry, I'll go get a bottle-”_

_“He's not hungry.” Tony sighed, shaking his head as he passed Peter back to Bruce. Tony walked away to start pacing as the baby's crying subsided. Bruce felt so conflicted as the baby calmed in the comfort of his arms and Tony was ready to pull out his hair._

_“Maybe you should try to get some sleep, Tony. I'll be okay with Peter.” Bruce said, the baby nuzzling into his elbow._

_Tony nodded, “I know you will.” He turned to do as Bruce had instructed but stopped, “What if I'm just not enough? What if I can't give him what he needs, Bruce?”_

_Bruce sighed and gently set the baby down so he could walk over to Tony. Bruce suddenly realized they both were afraid of turning into their own fathers, Tony afraid of disappointing Peter and Bruce afraid of getting violent with him._

_“I know you're scared, this is new to you and particularly hard. But it's new to me too, I'm scared I'm going to hurt him. I **wish** you could take him from me, because what happens if-”_

_“That's not going to happen.” Tony shook his head, “You wouldn't let anything happen to him. I don't care what you think, that maternal instinct you've developed wouldn't allow it.”_

_“Paternal.” Bruce corrected with a chuckle._

_“I know what I said.” Tony grumbled._

_Bruce continued with his speech, “I know this is hard for you, I've been supporting you and trying to help you through it. But I need your support too, I can't do this all on my own. I can't.”_

_Tony sighed and nodded, “I'll try harder.”_

_Bruce took Tony's hand in his, “I'm not asking you to try **harder** , I'm just asking you to keep your head above water, Tony. We’ll figure this out, together. I promise."_

_Tony looked over at the baby, sleeping peacefully, “He hasn't made a sound. He'd rather be alone than be with me.”_

_“He's asleep, he doesn't even know his surroundings.” Bruce sighed, trying to sound calm and collected so Tony would believe his words._

_“Want to test it? We both know he'll start screaming. It's the way I feel or the way I smell- I should try to work on something that could change-_

_“Tony.” Bruce grabbed Tony's hand again and pulled him back to the couch. Bruce scooped up the baby and leaned his body as close as possible to Tony's, trying to mold their bodies together with the infant between them. Tony didn't look impressed but Bruce smiled, “See, we just need to keep trying. You are **going** to bond with this baby.”_

 

_“He will be a fine soldier,” Thor pronounced, holding the infant out in his giant hands, “I can see it in his tiny eyes.”_

_“His eyes are shut.” Bruce chuckled, leaning back in his seat._

_“Ah, but I still see it.” Thor grinned, Jane snorting at the sureness in his voice._

_“Just what every new parent wants to hear.” She shook her head as she moved Thor's hand to cradle the baby's head._

_“It is a fine compliment I pay them!”_

_“I still can't believe you two are parents.” Natasha smiled wryly, “Now you've got two children to take care of, Bruce.”_

_Tony made a face at her before turning his gaze back to Thor, cradling the tiny child in his tree-like arms. Bruce hadn't missed one of the longing looks Tony gave their friends every time one of them had Peter in their hands. He placed his hand over Tony's, giving it a small squeeze and leaning over to kiss the back of Tony's neck._

_“Give it time.” He whispered, while Steve commented on the child's features._

_Tony forced a smile with a small nod, turning back to watch the baby get passed to another person. This was the first time they were all seeing the new addition to their family, they cooed and joked, not noticing how quiet Tony was or that he hadn't touched the child. Tony wanted to hold Peter but he didn't want to ruin their get together by upsetting the baby._

_“How's it been anyway? You still able to do your projects with the midnight feedings keeping you up?”_

_“Since when did I need sleep?” Tony grinned, “Anyway, I haven't really been pulling my weight with the night shifts. Bruce has been such a trooper, getting up every time.”_

_“Better watch out,” Clint chuckled, “don't want an angry Daddy on your hands.”_

_“Tasteful.” Natasha scowled at him while she uncrossed her legs to receive Peter. Her features softened as she gazed down at the baby, “He's going to be very handsome when he grows up.”_

_“Why was I laughed at for seeing the child's future and not her?” Thor frowned, pointing over at Natasha._

_Jane patted his knee while Tony stood, offering to get more drinks. Bruce watched him walk out of the room, wishing he could help Tony feel better about the situation. With a smile he asked to have the baby back, beaming when the child was returned to his arms. He couldn't remember ever being happier than when he had Peter close._

_“Hello there.” He said softly, leaning forward to kiss the top of the infant's head, “Enjoy meeting everyone? I hope you like attention, because they seem to like you.”_

_“Having a hard time not eating him up.” Jane grinned, grabbing one of Peter's little feet._

_Thor leaned in, trying to whisper, “I do not think they would appreciate it if you ate their young, Jane. We are guests.”_

_They all burst into laughter, while Tony returned to hand Bruce a bottle for the baby, “Thor say something riveting again?” He asked with a smirk as he sat back down. There was a moment between the two where Bruce gave Tony a questioning look, as if to ask if he wanted to try holding the baby again. Tony smiled, sucking in his lower lip as he turned his face away, “So Bruce and I have been having a debate, what do you all think about iron toddler suits?”_

 

_“What'd you think, Peter? Sorry your parents don't know many normal people,” He chuckled as the infant stared up into his face, “And you thought Daddy was strange. He's really not that bad, just likes attention and excitement. You better not turn out like that, I can only handle one of those.”_

_“Jane and Tash want to go shopping for him. They don't think we have enough baby clothes.” Tony said, leaning against the door frame. Bruce turned and smiled, shifting the child in his arms._

_“I knew they'd fall in love with him.”_

_“Who couldn't?” Tony asked, walking forward and cupping the back of the infant's head to place a kiss on his forehead, “I know I'm smitten. But you know I've always been a sucker for a cute face.”_

_“Take him please,” Bruce tried to make it sound more like a command than a request as he handed the child to Tony, “I need to get his pajamas.”_

_Tony cradled Peter against his chest, looking down at him as he started to whimper. Tony closed his eyes as Peter began to cry, “Bruce, please just take him.”_

_“No,” He shook his head, pulling open a drawer, “it's good for you both. You just need to give it time.”_

_“It's upsetting both of us.” Tony sighed, repositioning Peter in his arms, swaying slightly to try to ease whatever was bothering the baby, “He want's you.”_

_“No, he just needs to get used to you.” Bruce shook his head again, holding out the soft cloth onesie, “You get him ready for bed, okay? So, I've been reading about pacifier's, some articles say that it's good in cases like this where there isn't any mother and others say that it will hinder tooth and verbal development.”_

_Tony bit his lip while he wiggled the baby out of his day clothes, Bruce having to speak over the baby's wailing, “I, uh, yeah I've read about that too. Or Jarvis has and relayed it back to me.”_

_“And I've been reading reviews of different formulas,” Bruce slid his arms around Tony's waist and rested his chin on Tony's shoulder, looking down at the baby, “science is difficult enough, it's even worse experimenting with products when you have a tiny human being to worry about.”_

_“I'm sure we can test it all in the lab.” Tony answered, “That's what it's there for. And what could be more important? I'll clean it out tomorrow and we can start on that. Peter, darling, Daddy would appreciate if you didn't squirm so much. Go ahead and wail your healthy little lungs out but quit wiggling.”_

_Bruce smiled, planting a kiss right behind Tony's ear, “Alright, you two. That's enough quarreling.”_

 

 

_“Daddy isn't here,” Tony gritted through his teeth as the baby wailed in his ear. He repositioned the child on his shoulder, cradling his small behind with the palm of his hand, “I know he's who you want, but he won't be home for a while so we're just going to have to learn to deal with one another.”_

_Tony swayed around the room, tried to feed Peter, did everything he saw Bruce do to quiet the baby, but Peter continued to cry._

_“You know,” Tony began, still bouncing gently, “now would be a great time to start those communication skills, Babe. I don't even care what language you go with, Jarvis will translate.”_

_He wondered if he should just put the child down, save his ears and save Peter's lungs. But he didn't, he knew he couldn't give up the little one. If he quit now, that'd mean he was a failure as a parent, he knew they'd never connect they way they needed to because they both would know that Tony had given up just because it had been too hard._

_“Alright, listen, You.” Tony said, holding Peter out so he could look into his little scrunched up face, “I don't care how much you scream, I am going to love you and there is nothing you can do about it. So go ahead, make yourself hoarse. Go up a couple of octaves and I'll accompany you.”_

_Saying that, Tony strode over to grand piano and with his free hand he danced his fingers across the keys. The baby's eyes widened at the new sound, his crying came to a complete stop as he stared up at Tony in wonder. Tony's fingers faltered only for a second as he turned to look down at the baby, their eyes meeting while Tony continued playing. Even though the sound of the piano echoed in the open room, there was an underlying silence that Tony marveled at. He filled with an indescribable happiness as the child stared up at him. He curled in his lips, feeling his heart in his throat, beating like a drum in his ears._

_“Oh,” He began, unable to hold in his grin, “now that I want you to sing you clam up? You're gonna be a problem child aren't you? Can't wait till you're a teenager..”_

_Tony sat down on the leather stool, cradling the infant close to his chest while he played with the other hand. He began to hum, which turned into actual singing, beaming at the intense interest in the child's eyes. This was the longest he had held Peter since he'd been born and now that he'd been allowed so much time, he never wanted to let him go. Tony continued to sing, changing the lyrics as it suited him, even after the baby had fallen asleep in his arms, he continued to sing._

_He stood, dancing as he moved across the room to enter the kitchen. The warmth of the baby on his chest felt like a blanket around his heart. He stopped for a second as he realized how cheesy that sounded. He decided to make some tea, he knew Bruce would be happy to come home to that. He also thought Bruce would be happy to come home a meal, for a second he considered looking up how to make food, but that thought passed as quickly as it had come. Take-out it would have to be._

 

 

_When Bruce returned home, he heard Tony's voice the moment he walked in. Even in their large home, his senses picked up on Tony. He was shocked to hear the voice coming from the kitchen, usually Tony stayed out of that room._

_“The traditional view is that the probabilities in quantum mechanics --- and hence the “wavefunction” that encodes them --- refer to the state of knowledge of some “observer”. And another view is that we're simply machines made of meat.” Tony rambled, the baby positioned on his shoulder while he prepared formula. Tony worked with one hand, his other curled under the infant's bottom to keep him close._

_Bruce's mouth fell open as he watched Tony move around, only stopping his banter to turn his face and kiss the top of the baby's head, “T-Tony?” Bruce stuttered, utterly baffled at the sight._

_Tony turned and smiled, “Don't worry, Peter's alive.” He turned his body to show the baby off to Bruce._

_Bruce dropped his bag and hurried over, “What happened?!” He whispered, staring at the sleeping bundle on Tony's shoulder, “Did you drug him?”_

_“My riveting conversation skills. He really seems to like quantum physics, soothes him right to sleep.”_

_Bruce covered his grinning lips with his hand, his eyes misting, “Tony..I was so worried..I'm sorry but I've been so scared that you wouldn't be able to ever touch him.”_

_Tony nodded, rearranging the child, “I know. Me too, but, everyone knew that. I started playing the piano and kind of singing and.. I swear it was the most beautiful silence I've ever heard.”_

_Bruce bit his lower lip as he beamed, taking over filling the bottle so that Tony could hold the baby with both hands, “I'm so happy for you, Tony. I was really afraid of what could happen.”_

_Peter started wiggling against Tony's chest, his face scrunching as he yawned. Worry flashed across Tony's face as the baby started stirring._

_“You know,” He said, barely above a whisper, “it's probably going to take more than just one day for this to..” His words trailed off when the baby started whimpering._

_“He's probably hungry,” Bruce handed him the bottle, “no one said this would be easy. Wait till he's a teenager.”_

_“That's what I said,” Tony nodded, “and you watch, I'll probably end up spoiling him and making it worse.”_

_“So..why quantum physics? You know his first words are probably going to be about his teddy bears.”_

_“Not if I have anything to with it.” Tony scoffed._

 

 

Bruce cracked one eye open, lifting his face from the pillow, “Tony?” He kicked Tony's leg when he didn't answer, knowing he should just get up and get the crying baby himself, “Tony, you said you'd get the baby tonight.”

“Mhm.” Tony nodded against his pillow.

“Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but Peter is up.”

Tony made a sound as he pulled himself into a sitting position, his eyes still shut, “What cry is that?”

“He's hungry. Still can't tell, huh?”

“He's always crying around me, I don't hear the differences.” Tony answered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, “Jarvis?”

“The infant has specific cries for different levels of distress, sir. When he is in need of nourishment, a higher pitch-”

“Okay, okay.” Tony sighed, scooping Peter up from his crib, “Daddy needs to learn to pay attention, I get it.”

He held the baby close to his chest and started swaying, humming while his eyes closed once more. Bruce sat up, giving Tony an unimpressed look that went unnoticed.

“Tony, he's hungry.”

“Oh, right.” He nodded, snapping back to life.

“I can just-”  
“No, go back to sleep, Babe.” Tony answered with a yawn as he exited the room. Bruce could hear Peter all the way down the hall, he considered asking Tony about sound proof walls but he brushed off the idea, he'd much rather hear Peter wherever he was. He was exhausted and planned on going back to sleep, but as soon as he set his head back down on the pillow, he shot back up. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, the heated floors that Tony had installed warm on his bare feet.

He instructed Jarvis to turn on the lights while he walked over to the crib, he pulled out the silver blanket with satin binding that he thought might help Tony with Peter. He thought that the smell of the blanket would comfort and quiet Peter. He padded down the hall with the blanket over his shoulder, thinking that while he was up he should make some tea. The crying had stopped but that was most likely because Tony had finally gotten Peter his bottle. Bruce rounded the corner to find Tony on the couch, holding the bottle up in his hand so Peter could drink peacefully from his carrier. The carrier sat on the coffee table, Tony resting his cheek on his palm, his elbow on one knee. Bruce came around the couch, brushing his fingers through Tony's hair as he passed.

“Guess he **didn't** need this.” He said, holding up the silver blanket as he sat on the arm of the couch.

“I thought you were going to sleep.” Tony sighed, picking up his head, “I'm fine with him.”

“I know you are,” Bruce nodded, smiling down at the infant, sucking steadily on the plastic nipple, “I just wanted to be with my boys.”

“You really could use some sleep. I expect you to start slurring your words.” Tony replied, turning his eyes back to Peter.

“I'm fine. And this is what comes with a little one, I realize that. Did you?”

“I read something about it.” Tony shrugged with a fake smile, removing the bottle from Peter's lips to see if he was done eating, “Maybe on a blog somewhere.”

Bruce chuckled, glancing over at the stack of baby books on the table that Tony had was pretending not to read, “I was thinking, we haven't been out of the house since-”

“You want me to leave him? You want me to leave my baby so we can go eat sushi?” Tony asked, giving Bruce a look like he was insane for even considering it.

“When did I say sushi? And I just think it might be good for us to get out for a couple of hours. We could have Jane or Tash stay with him, they'd love that.”

Tony tried to scowl through a yawn, “I think it's too soon for that.”

“I'm not saying tomorrow.” Bruce sighed, “I think it'd be good for you.”

“For me? I'm doing just as fine as you are at this.” Tony said, pretending to sound offended.

“I know you are,” Bruce smiled, leaning over to kiss Tony's head, “You're doing great. Especially considering how difficult this has been.”

“Mhm.” Tony nodded when Peter started to whimper, the bottle now empty. Tony stood and allowed Bruce to take his place, scooping the baby up into his arms.

“Well hello there, Peter.” Bruce beamed, kissing the infant on his cheek, “How was that? Did Daddy do a good job with the grub?”

Tony laughed, walking towards the kitchen, “I thought you promised you wouldn't do the baby voice with him.”

“Maybe I'm directing the voice at you.” Bruce answered, glancing over his shoulder back at Tony, “Pft, **baby voice**. Did you hear any baby talk, Peter? No, me neither. Daddy just gets jealous because he thinks I love you more than him. He gets a little needy like that sometimes, you'll learn.”

“Is that what he's here for? To help you gang up on me?”

“That's right!” Bruce smiled, kissing Peter's cheeks again, unintentionally using his baby voice.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This has just been sitting in my documents folder since the Avengers movie came out, had to shake off the dust.


End file.
